Bus 170 to JB

I've often heard of people taking public transport into Malaysia, or Johor Bahru (JB) the closest Malaysian state to Singapore. It's not difficult and there really is only one bus 170 that starts from Queen Street Terminal (Rocher Canal, Singapore) that goes across the causeway and ends at Larkin Terminal (JB, Malaysia). If you ride from 1 terminal to the next, it costs $2 (ezlink card) or $2.50 (cash).

We took the MRT to Kranji where there is a bus stop just outside the station. However the Q was that long! Luckily my mom found CW1 a private bus going into JB that charges in MYR, ask the driver or his friend how much is the fare before boarding.

So you have to disembark at Singapore customs, get your passport chopped, embark the same bus to go to Malaysia Customs, disembark to get your passport chopped then walk to the mall. It's a busy bus service as there is JB City Square Mall at the end of the rainbow.

I was held up in customs for almost an hour, unbelievably unlucky as I heard the Q is usually quite short and fast. From customs, you have to walk through JB Sentral to get to City Square Mall, JB Sentral is this bus interchange that brings you anywhere in Johor Bahru including other malls.

This shopping centre is really up-to-date and lively. Everyone loves the dimsum places Canton-i and Dragon-i. We ate lunch at Sizzling Stonegrill, my first time trying ostrich meat. 90 ringgit for 2 including a salad to share.

Giant EGG vending machine outside a spectacle shop, 10 ringgit for a lens cleaning cloth.

Lots of food gift shops, my mom likes Lavender (a French style bakery with local ingredients) she bought lots of pandan chiffon cakes home to giveaway @ MYR 8.50 each, that's a great buy as the pandan flavour is really fresh & intense. I spied cream chicken stew bun that is the only non-local item there. 

Famous Amos, Mika, Yong Sheng, Eureka are all located next to each other, along with a local Malaysian products gifts store. My mom and I each got 1 pack of flavored popcorn (11.90 to 14.90  ringgit) and swiss roll (11.90 to 17.90 ringgit).

For cheap and good local fare, get it from the pushcarts. We used up all our leftover ringgit here.

My mom treated me to Gel mani pedi for only 150 ringgit. We really needed to just sit back and rest after walking through the mall. Everyone likes to come to Malaysia for nail art, however the nail places here are soo packed the girls usually don't have time for that.

Just outside the nail shops are these HP cases that look like designer bags. I totally wanted to get the perfume bottle cases but I couldn't find one that fits my phone.

Giant soft toys too...I want the 1 metre Rilakuma (maybe next time).

City Square JB has KTV, Gym, Cineplex, Tattoo Salons... just about everything else in ringgit.

Stopped for desserts, famous Penang Road Gula Melaka and their highly recommended Nutmeg Ice Kachang. The price is easily 3X the original roadside stall, but its air-conditioned and there are tables and chairs.

We bought Kimdo BBQ squid home for dinner, it gave us momentary heart attack, 3 squids and 1 baby squid on a stick for 65 ringgit. That was the only price shock we had that day.